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Middle Ages/Transcript
Transcript Tim and Moby are seated at a table at Medieval Times. TIM: Oh, serving, lady! Prithee, come hence and fetch another flagon of cola! Oh, man. This is so much better than a regular restaurant. There's knights and princesses, and jousting! Jousting, Moby! Tim turns and Moby is gone. TIM: Wait, where? Oh, no. Trumpets sound. Moby and a knight, both on horseback and holding swords, appear in the middle of the arena. Tim nervously looks on. Moby flies through the air and lands with a crash beside Tim. He is unharmed. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, What were the Middle Ages? From, Alex A time line from 200 to 1600 is shown, with the title "Middle Ages." TIM: Well, Alex, the Middle Ages, or the Medieval era, was a period of European history that lasted from about the 5th century to the 15th century, C.E. MOBY: Beep beep? TIM: Uh, okay, let's back up. For the first 500 years or so of the 1st millennium, most of Europe was united under the rule and protection of the Roman Empire. A map of Europe is shown. TIM: But when Rome fell in the 5th century, everything changed. For a while, European tribes migrated from one area to another, but they eventually settled down, establishing small, independent kingdoms. The map of Europe is divided into many small areas, showing separate kingdoms. Images of ancient Rome and a smaller town surrounded by a wall are shown. TIM: The big, open cities of the Roman world were replaced by smaller towns, which were walled in to protect against invaders. Vikings are shown fighting with townspeople, and the houses in the town are on fire. TIM: They were a big problem back then, as Vikings from Scandinavia and Magyars from Hungary frequently staged deadly raids. Travel was dangerous, so shipping and commerce collapsed. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Well, most people's lives revolved around producing enough food to feed themselves and their families. Since that usually involved farming, society was dominated by landowners. These guys were loosely tied to one another, and their kings, by the feudal system. MOBY: Beep? A king is standing in the middle of a map with five other people standing around it. Small pieces of the map separate and move beneath the other people. The king is still standing on the largest piece, but the five other people are each standing on a small piece of the map as well. TIM: It was pretty simple: Kings would grant large tracts of land to noblemen, in exchange for promises of loyalty and protection. Since land was more valuable than money, wealth and power were concentrated among a handful of lords. Peasants are working in the fields with plows and axes. A large stone castle stands far in the background. TIM: Most other people were peasants who worked long hours farming and performing manual labor. The only unifying force in Europe was the Roman Catholic Church, and pretty much every king had to take orders from its leader, the Pope. If you disagreed with the Church, the punishment could be harsh, but it was the only real source of higher learning in Europe. An image is shown of four monks with bald heads and long brown robes, reading and writing in a room. Next, two monks are in a library. One is reading a large book and the other is looking at the rows of books on a shelf. TIM: Christian monks preserved ancient works of literature and philosophy by copying them by hand, and monasteries were the only places that had libraries. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Yeah, life was pretty grim back then, which is why it's sometimes called the Dark Ages. But as time went on, things began to change. First off, a few great leaders arose. A king is shown standing in front of a map of Europe. The areas of France, Germany, and Italy are highlighted. TIM: In the 8th and 9th centuries, Charles the Great, or Charlemagne, united territories in modern-day France, Germany and Italy, leading to a brief flowering of art, culture, and learning. William the Conqueror is standing in front of a map of England and France. The name "Normandy" pops up on the map, and a small area along the coast of France turns orange. England also turns orange. TIM: And William the Conqueror, who ruled a French territory called Normandy, invaded England in 1066 and became its king. An image shows three kings on horseback, each wearing a large cross on his robe, leading a group of people carrying shields, crosses, and flags. TIM: But nothing changed medieval Europe like a series of wars called the Crusades. These were fought between European Christians and Muslims from North Africa and the Middle East. MOBY: Beep beep? A map of Europe, Asia, and Africa is shown. A crescent moon and star appear in an area near the Arabian Sea, and the area is labeled "Arabian Peninsula." Areas labeled "Spain" and "Pakistan" change colors. TIM: Right. The religion of Islam was founded in the 7th century, in the Arabian Peninsula. By 750, Muslim rulers controlled everything from modern-day Spain to Pakistan, creating one of the largest empires in history. This era is sometimes called the Islamic Golden Age. An image is shown of three Muslim men wearing turbans on their heads, sitting on the ground reading and writing. TIM: Muslim scholars preserved knowledge from Greece and Rome, and made major advances in medicine, chemistry, astronomy, and optics. An image is shown of a large building with a rounded top and tall, thin turrets. Scaffolding around the structure indicates that it is being built. TIM: Great mosques were built, and the arts and sciences flourished. But this expansion made many Christians nervous. MOBY: Beep? A map shows the Mediterranean Sea and the area surrounding it. A hand with an ink stamp marks the area with the crescent moon and star symbol. TIM: Well, besides making inroads into Europe, the Muslims conquered modern Israel, which Christians considered sacred territory. So in 1095, the Pope urged Europeans to take up arms and reclaim the Holy Land for Christianity. An image is shown of Crusaders with bows, arrows, shields, and flags with crosses. They are climbing a brick wall surrounding a city. The wall and the city are on fire. TIM: The Crusaders captured the city of Jerusalem, and even established new Christian kingdoms in the Middle East. It wasn't a permanent victory, though. The two sides fought over the territory for the next 200 years, and by the end of the 13th century, the Muslims had re-conquered it all. But even though they ultimately failed, the Crusades had a huge influence on European society. MOBY: Beep? An image shows a smiling man wearing medieval clothing, standing on a dock beside three large wooden crates labeled "Made in China." A ship is beside the dock, and the city is behind the man. TIM: Well, they opened up trade between Europe and Asia, leading to the rise of a new merchant class. A map is shown of Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Indian Ocean. A yellow dotted line shows shipping routes from India to Europe. Several red dotted lines land routes from Europe to locations in India and China. TIM: And the expansion of trade led to advances in shipbuilding and exploration, as Europeans sought new sea routes to Asia. As the middle class expanded, European cities became important economic and cultural centers, and their populations began growing. An image shows a tall, fancy building with many turrets, and arches above doors and windows. TIM: These cities often featured great new churches called cathedrals, built in the towering, ornate Gothic style. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Right, the Crusades also led to intellectual growth, as Islamic knowledge and technology made its way to Europe. An image shows a medieval man sitting behind a podium, addressing rows of men seated behind long tables. TIM: Soon, the first European universities were founded in cities like Paris, France, and Oxford, England. Eventually, the Renaissance, a new era of culture and learning, began in Italy, and the Middle Ages ended as it spread through the rest of Europe. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Right, except in this restaurant! Where the Medieval era never ended! Hooray for plague, illiteracy, and dueling knights! MOBY Enthusiastically: Beep! They clink flagons. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts Category:BrainPOP Social Studies Transcripts